Pony Hood with Harness

Hello everyone! I've been super busy lately working on new projects for Karen Hsiao's Black Cherries series. I just completed a Pony Hood for her, which is based on the molded-leather hoods I did a few months ago. These are created out of wet-cast veg-tanned leather, using my wood female hood form as a foundation to build the shape. 

This takes the design to a whole new level, with added straps and integrated O-rings that are riveted to the front of the mask where the bit would normally go. Instead of pulling the reins against her mouth, this puts the pressure on the entire hood - so you can really tug on them!  (Oh, the poor slavegirl/model who has to wear it!) 

I loved the thought of the straps crossing over the blank featureless face. There are actually tiny holes near the nose, so this can be worn. We wanted to keep the holes minimal, so as not to take away from the clean look. 

There's a pony-tail opening at the top rear, so you can have the long hair flowing out and down the back or the front of the mask. This looks incredibly hot...

The ears were a challenge to get right - at first the shape I came up with looked like a bunny rabbit. Fortunately Karen came up with a great shape, and it worked perfectly on the first try. We cut it out of leather, and the ears just fell into place. As soon as they were sewn to the top of the hood, it took on a primal, animal quality. It's a powerful piece. I think I need to make one to  keep for myself! And I'm really looking forward to seeing what Karen does with it...